Blue on Blue!

Blue Blossom Salad:

Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe

Salads feature a lot on my weekly menu, both in winter and summer, but never more so than over the last two weeks since the heat wave hit the UK and most of Europe; instead of moaning in the rain, we have all been singing on the sun and a cool salad makes a welcome appearance on our patio table every day. Whereas I am quite happy to munch away on assorted lettuce leaves with a tomato or two and a good salad dressing, I also like to experiment with colour, texture and taste when I come to assemble my salads – and this salad, which I have called a Blue Blossom Salad, was a huge success. The star of the salad show in this case, apart from the delectable creamy blue cheese dressing and cold cooked chicken, are the delicate star-like borage flowers which grow all over my garden; they were originally planted for bees and butterflies, but, they are also an essential ingredient for salads, omelettes and that ubiquitous of summer drinks, Pimms.

Borage and Bee

I also planted some white borage this year, just for a change, although I can’t share a photo of it today as it’s not bloomed yet. But here’s a sneak preview of what it will look like, from a seed site:

White Borage (Kingseeds.co.nz)

When planning this latest salad recipe, I also thought it would be rather nice to bring my Churchill china into the frame; as regular readers will know, I am the Churchill China Blogger, and I was sent a rather lovely Penzance dinner set to show and share on my blog earlier this year. This, my next scheduled post for Lunch on the Patio (Summer salads and BBQ)reallyshowcases how versatile the china is for casual, summery meals, and I think that the clever use of the Coupe bowls show how great they are to use for individual salads. Although I like to prepare large salads for self-serving, on this rather hot day I thought a nice individual salad would be easier and would not wilt as much in the heat; so I served this beautiful blue on blue salad at the table under the apple tree for some welcome shade……..

Borage flowers have a subtle cucumber flavour, which makes them so useful to add to salads as well as Pimms of course. It is also called “Starflower”, which is easy to see why, and has been used as a domestic herbal remedy since ancient times. As well as being a beautiful flower, it has some amazing health benefits, some of which are very surprising. It can be used to fight depression and melancholy, as well as inducing euphoria! In addition to this, it is known for its beneficial effect on the heart, kidneys and digestive system and has been used as a cure for jaundice in the past. As if this wasn’t enough, it is also a great plan to have a borage plant next to your strawberry plants, as they stimulate their growth!

The edible parts of the borage plant are the flowers, as well as the leaves, which can be dried and made into a tisane that wards off fever. You can also eat the seeds which are a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid, which is known to help to reduce blood pressure and regulate hormonal conditions. It’s certainly a great plant to have in the garden for all of the health benefits I have mentioned above, as well as its stunning blue looks.

The recipe for my Blue Blossom Salad is shared below, and I don’t know what you think, but I think the salad looks as pretty as a picture on my Churchill Penzance coupe bowl. That’s all for this rather hot Sunday, have a wonderful lazy time, if you can, and I’ll see you soon with more new recipes, some reviews and another new giveaway. Karen

A summery burst of blue on a plate, this salad takes full advantage of cooked chicken which marries so well with blue cheese and dressing; the blue borage flowers add a subtle cucumber taste to the salad and makes it pretty as a picture!

Ingredients

Salad

100g mixed salad leaves of your choice

1 large grilled or cooked chicken breast cut into cubes or small pieces (about 125g to 150g)

6 to 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

50g blue cheese of your choice (cubed or crumbled)

10 to 12 blue borage flowers

Dressing

50g blue cheese of your choice (crumbled)

50mls low fat mayonnaise

100mls low fat crème fraiche

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or cider apple vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Note

A summery burst of blue on a plate, this salad takes full advantage of cooked chicken which marries so well with blue cheese and dressing; the blue borage flowers add a subtle cucumber taste to the salad and makes it pretty as a picture!

Directions

Step 1

Dressing: Put the crumbled blue cheese into a jar or bowl and add the remaining ingredients, shake or mix well and adjust seasoning to taste. Thin with a little milk if the dressing is too thick.

Step 2

Salad: Arrange the salad leaves in a serving bowl and then add the cherry tomatoes before adding the cooked chicken pieces and crumbled or cubed blue cheese.

Step 3

Pour or spoon the blue cheese dressing over the salad and then scatter the borage flowers over the top.

Disclaimer: I received a Churchill china Penzance dinnerware service for free, in order to share and showcase the china with my readers as part of my sponsored collaboration with Churchill China. I was not asked to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Comments

That is the prettiest salad! I often use nasturtiums or wild garlic flowers in salads, but don’t think I’ve ever eaten a blue flower?! On my lost of things to do 🙂
Janie x
PS love the bowls, so pretty.

What a beautiful salad Karen! I’ve never eaten borage flowers but they add such a gorgeously vibrant hue to the salad. I adore a good strong blue cheese. Wish I had access to some borage… hm, I might just have to attempt the salad without. I am pretty sure that particular flower doesn’t grow here in Western Australia.

Thanks Laura, anything that is blue and cheese has my name on it!! And these borage flowers just add the finishing touch. I am sure you can get borage seeds on Australia, maybe worth a look at a seed company online? Karen

Every salad can be made better with the addition of blue cheese! The flowers just make it so beautiful (not to mention the added health benefits of course). Love love love the crockery too – sets off the salad beautifully.

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Meet Karen

Bienvenue! I'm Karen; it’s lovely to see you here. I share my time between beautiful North Yorkshire and SW France. I am a freelance travel and food writer and recipe developer with a passion for art, travel, books, photography, seasonal food and especially cheese! Please do get in contact with me if you have any questions about my work or commissioning me. Read More…

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